New Zealand Formula Ford championship rookie Kyan Davie is buoyed by his performances after round one, identifying consistency as the goal over the remaining two weekends.
Davie, a Formula First graduate, came away from the opening meeting at Hampton Downs with two fourths and a third. He currently sits third in the standings, behind Matthew McCutcheon and James Penrose.
This year’s shortened national Formula Ford championship places added emphasis on driver consistency and reliability. With only two more rounds to play out, a retirement or poor result by one of the front-runners could prove costly.
Contesting his first season of Formula Ford, Davie said pre-weekend that he hoped to finish all three races. Coming away with a trio of top-four finishes, Davie was left pleased with his round one performance.
“I came away from the weekend feeling happy and enthusiastic that I stayed very consistent all weekend,” Davie told Velocity News.
“I didn’t feel as there were any new challenges as everything did feel familiar such as the format and the Hampton Downs track.
“I was racing against drivers that I had never raced before or had not run against in a long while. Everyone is there to win and do their best.
“The races were very intense. I had some great racing battles.”
Pukekohe Park will host the second round of the series this weekend. While it is another circuit the 16-year-old knows well, Davie says his mindset of remaining consistent stays the same.
“While coming away from the weekend at Hampton Downs was joyful, I have things I need to work on for Pukekohe.
“I cannot afford a DNF; otherwise, I will be pretty much out of my hopes of a top three in the championship.
“The driver talent we have in NZ at the moment is very impressive, and in this season of Formula Ford, there are some great drivers in the field.
“I also want to aim on learning more race craft at Pukekohe. It is a track that will produce a lot of close racing with the two long straight that will allow some good slip streaming.”
Round two of the New Zealand Formula Ford will also share the grid with round four of the North Island Formula Ford series.
The field will have three races on Sunday, with a pair of practice sessions on Saturday evening kicking off the event.